Editing Animal sacrifice (section)

===Christianity===
[[File:Matagh (Animal Sacrifice) - Armenia 2009.JPG|thumb|right|200px|Matagh of a rooster at the entrance of a monastery church ([[Alaverdi, Armenia]], 2009), with inset of bloody steps.]]
[[File:Traditional Christmas meal on Margarita Island.jpg|thumb|right|Christmas goat sacrifice in Isla de Margarita, Venezuela]]
{{Further|Lamb of God}}
[[Christianity]] has long opposed all forms of animal sacrifice, and the practice's "very possibility ... has been generally rejected as unreasonable and hostile to Christian theology".{{sfnp|Kovaltchuk|2008|p=163}} Most Christian denominations believe that the sacrificial death of [[Jesus Christ]] permanently abolished animal sacrifice, primarily based on the teaching in the [[Epistle to the Hebrews]] that Jesus was the "[[Lamb of God]]" to whom all ancient sacrifices pointed.{{sfnp|Kovaltchuk|2008|pp=162–63}} Most Christians believe that the "bloodless" sacrifice of the [[Eucharist]], or Lord's Supper, entirely replaces the [[Old Testament]] system of sacrifices.{{sfnp|Kovaltchuk|2008|p=163}} Consequently, animal sacrifice is rarely practiced in Christianity.

Some villages in Greece sacrifice animals to Orthodox saints in a practice known as ''[[kourbania]]''. Sacrifice of a lamb, or less commonly a rooster, is a common practice in [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Church]],{{sfn|Burkert|1972|p=8-9}} and the [[Tewahedo Orthodox|Tewahedo Church]] of [[Ethiopia]] and [[Eritrea]]. This tradition, called ''[[matagh]]'', is believed to stem from pre-Christian pagan rituals. Additionally, some Mayans following a form of [[Folk Catholicism]] in Mexico today still sacrifice animals in conjunction with church practices, a ritual practiced in past religions before the arrival of the Spaniards.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vagabondjourney.com/maya-and-catholic-religious-syncretism-at-chamula-mexico/ |title=Maya and Catholic Religious Syncretism at Chamula, Mexico |publisher=Vagabondjourney.com |date=2011-11-26 |access-date=2014-02-12}}</ref>